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Oscars 2018: red carpet comes alive with colour

The black or white of previous award nights became a thing of the past yesterday.

Following the red carpet blackout of the awards season to date, the Oscars came alive with colour as the Academy Awards’ statement of power.

Organisers of the Time’s Up movement — calling time on sexual harassment of women in the workplace — had put out a call to followers: “Tonight, our sisters will be wearing a festive array of colours … representing this vast movement of women everywhere.”

Women and men alike accessorised with Time’s Up lapel pins to underline their support. But powerful fashion statements weren’t without their feminine touches.

Presenter Nicole Kidman wore an electric blue strapless Armani Prive gown with an enormous bow at the front, while best actress nominee Saoirse Ronan wore an oversized trailing bow at the back in a pale pink gown by Calvin Klein.

Red was a clear favourite, with best supporting actress winner Allison Janney and best actress nominee Meryl Streep among those to favour the hue.

A handful of attendees went with metallic gowns, some in powerful armour-like designs. Lupita Nyong’o wore a gold and black chainmail gown with asymmetric detailing, while Jennifer Lawrence dazzled in a pewter Dior gown.

Gal Gadot’s silver dress channelled 1920s flapper chic.

White dresses were something of a palate cleanser after months of black, as seen on best actress nominee Margot Robbie, Laura Dern and long-time activist Jane Fonda, statuesque in a Balmain gown.

Although men are generally more limited in their red carpet choices, this year some pushed the boundaries of the tux-centric dress code.

Colourful dinner jackets were one simple way to shake things up, with best actor nominee Daniel Kaluuya opting for one in mustard by Brunello Cucinelli, and Armie Hammer going for burgundy. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon took a leap of faith by wearing a leather harness beneath his Moschino tuxedo jacket.

One of the best fashion moments of the Oscars came when 1962’s best supporting actress winner Rita Moreno (for West Side Story) turned up in the same dress she wore to accept her award 56 years earlier, albeit slightly modified.

As she strutted and danced on stage while presenting the award for best foreign film, she pretty much summed up the mood for all those women in attendance: owning it.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/in-depth/oscars/oscars-2018-red-carpet-comes-alive-with-colour/news-story/1d36ff078f292b1d4c4f19fdf1f684ed